


Reach

by FrankiValerie



Series: After Omega [16]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 19:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11168112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrankiValerie/pseuds/FrankiValerie
Summary: #JalebisLove





	Reach

Jack returned to the clinic to drop off her cleaning supplies then went to get some food for Caleb. No doubt he’d be hungry, and she needed more information on Reyes before gate crashing his meeting.

She returned to Caleb’s bedside with hot soup in take out containers and placed them down, not noticing he was asleep so making no attempt to be quiet.

“Docs been back in?”  

He stirred and slowly opened his eyes, looking to her then attempting to sit himself up, wincing as he did, “Not that I saw.  Been sleeping.”  He eyed the cartons at his bedside and nodded to them, “What’s that?”

“Soup.  Eat.”

He watched her and sat back again, “... got meat in it?”

“Chicken and bacon,” she took the lid off and handed it to him, “and it’s still really fucking hot”.

He took it from her gently and grinned, “Fuck. Smells so good,” he looked back to her and softened his expression, “You're awesome.”

She sat quietly as she ate, looking over him. His new wound was bandaged up, gauze wrapped around his chest from breastbone to navel. No weeping or bleeding but she could tell the nurses had been in to change the bandages since she’d left. His face was less swollen but still bruised; purple and sore.

The silence built up a slight tension but he broke it with ease after taking a few sips of his soup, “So I talked to one of the nurses. She said I’m gonna have another scar.”

Jack looked down and mumbled, “She obviously finished at the top of her class.”

He lowered the carton, “Fuck, Jack. I’m the one who almost died, how come you’re so upset?”

“Because you’re a reckless and fucking stubborn idiot and that makes me sad.” she answered without a moment’s hesitation.

He paused a moment, eyeing her then grinned cheekily.  

She wasn’t at all amused and didn’t bother hiding the hurt in her tone, “Why didn’t you wait for me?”

He paused again, his grin dropping, “I didn’t want to put you in danger.”

“Then why the fuck bring me out to Omega to do jobs for you? Do you honestly think I can’t handle myself?”

“No…” He frowned, “you know that’s not it. I didn't want you risking yourself for my past. For my mistakes.”

She bit her tongue behind her teeth, now unable to look at him.  She stared down at her half eaten soup.

Noting her silence he continued still, voice softening, “When you love someone, you protect them. I don't want you put in danger ‘cause of my mistakes.” He rested his hand on her leg; with her feet up on the bed it was the only part of her he could reach. “I don't want you paying for my fuck ups, Jack. Better something happens to me than to you.”

Still she was silent and unmoving, jaw clenched tight and her tongue beginning to hurt from how hard she bit, keeping herself from yelling.  She knew Caleb loved her.  And she loved him.  They’d said those words before; in the middle of the desert, in an old car, under the stars.  Hearing him say that he still loved her after all these years… She pushed down the emotion, she couldn’t deal with it, not now.   

He exhaled and placed his now empty carton down and leant back, “Least we might have the element of surprise on our side now. He might think I’m dead. But I ain't in any shape to do much.”

“Not yet.” She piped up, “But you will be soon.  I’ll keep an eye on them, make sure they stay on Omega.  I got his sniper's name.”

He paused, “… What? The fuck you get that?!”

Jack frowned at his tone, “Don't worry, I'm not going after Reyes directly and I'm being careful. The name ‘Garrett Miles’ ringing any bells?” She looked up to study his face and watch for signs of recognition. He wouldn’t dare try to hide anything from her.

He considered the question then nodded, ”Yeah. That fucker. Reyes' right hand man. Didn't realise they were still running together. Guess I got more people to kill now.”

She shook her head and sat forward, pulling her feet back down off the bed, “You're not barging in like last time. Let me do the legwork while you're resting. I'll make sure they don't leave anytime soon.”

He looked unsure but then nodded again “Dunno if I could survive another frontal attack anyway.”

Jack looked over him then shuffled her chair forward, “So you're gonna tell me everything you know about the fucker. Then we're gonna make a plan.”

He still looked unsure, but took her through everything he knew. Deals he’d heard of, the type of business Reyes was into; selling anything he could get his hands on whether it was weapons, illegal drugs or slaves. He knew Reyes kept tabs on him.  He didn’t have any evidence, but knew the kind of man he was; the “keep your friends close and enemies closer” kind. He provided a description of him, and Garrett; Jack failed to mention that she had gotten Miles’ name directly from him and didn’t need a description.

He exhaled as he finished, “… If anyone deserves a bullet to the brain, it's him”

Jack paused for a long moment, taking in the information and rolling it all over in her mind, “What I'm hearing is that he's more brains than brawn. He has all these master plans but always has a hired guard.”

Caleb nodded, “You get the drop on him and he's fucked. He prefers fighting from the shadows at a distance. They both do.”

“If he’s been keeping tabs on you, think he’ll know anything about us? Anything about me?”

He managed a small smile, “He wouldn’t have focused on people I’m with. Anyway, the fucker doesn’t think highly enough of me to think you’re nothing more than a booty call. He wouldn’t have run background checks.”

She nodded and continued, still no hint of a smile on her face, “You think he'll have planned for you coming after him again?”

“Doubt it.” Caleb replied without hesitation, snorting, “I'd say he reckons I bled out in that alleyway. So we got surprise on our side.”

A plan started to take shape in Jack’s mind, “you think we could lure him away from his guards? Get him out the shadows and his comfort zone?”  

“Reckon we could, yeah.” He paused a moment, thinking then smirked, “He has certain… needs that make him vulnerable.”

“’Needs’?” she quirked a brow, “What kinda ‘needs’?”

“He likes visiting strip clubs. Has a kink about seducing the dancers and taking them back to his place.”

“What about Garrett? He goes with him to the clubs?” The name of the club she’d found out they were meeting at was a strip club, she’d leave that part out.

Caleb snorted again, “The two are practically inseparable.”

Jack looked down at her hands, balled into fists. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to shake the image of Miles’ sick satisfied smirk when she told him Caleb was dead.  Tried to forget his words;   _“He was a dog that had to be put down. Sick and rabid. Galaxy is a better place without him.”_ She exhaled, feeling her nails digging into her palms again and instead put her hands on her knees.  Reyes was Caleb’s kill, no doubt about it.  She’d never take that from him.  But Miles? Caleb didn’t think enough about him to mention him until now.  But he’d taken that shot.  And bragged about it.  He’d almost killed her oldest friend, the only person in the galaxy who knew her, all of her, as she was, and accepted her.  The first man she’d ever loved.  

She took another deep, shaky breath “Can I kill Garett?” She finally said, looking back up at Caleb.

He eyed her at the question, “You wanna kill Garret?”

She frowned, “Do I wanna kill the fucker who almost took my world from me? Yeah. Pretty sure I wanna rip out his lungs and fucking show them to him while he suffocates… or shove his fucking rifle so far up his ass he spits heat-sinks.” She stood and pushed the chair back, “I’m undecided. Maybe both.”

Caleb sat up with a wince and tried to grab her hand, not wanting her to leave him, “Look, Jack, I’m serious, these guys are dangerous, I don’t want you to—“

She turned to him and finally showed him some emotion; she was hurt and beyond angry, “ _I’M_ fucking dangerous, Caleb! Or have you fucking forgotten?! You’ve _SEEN_ what I can do, for fuck sake and you know I’m not stupid. Stop coddling me like I’m some scared little girl who needs your protection. I can fight my own battles and I can help to fight yours. _So LET. ME_.”

He opened his mouth to retort but she raised her voice over him, “You fucked up, Caleb and these guys got the fucking drop. Because you were trying to fucking protect me, because you got fucking emotional, you almost fucking died and that would have fucking destroyed me, way worse than any twisted old fuck or weasel with a fucking sniper rifle ever could. So you’re gonna stay in this bed and fucking rest while I deal with this. When you’re ready, I’ll have Reyes scared, alone, with no guard and no fucking future because you’ll be there waiting to deal with him. We’re putting an end to these fucking assholes.”

With that she stormed out. An hour had passed and 2 walking corpses were waiting for her at Illium Rose. 

* * *

 

**2182 - Dive Bar - Colony World**

“Beer, pitcher,” Caleb glanced over at the girl he’d brought in; long legs, blonde hair, big tits, gorgeous... generic; a release. He guessed from the look of her she’d like some sweet as fuck fancy drink, “And uh… I dunno, some cocktail.”

The slumped figure to his side that he had until now disregarded jerked at his voice. He looked at the movement more as a reflex but looked again when his eye caught a familiar pattern of lines on the back of the woman’s neck. He stared wide-eyed. The woman blinked, grunted, wiped her mouth then grabbed the full shot glass by her head, downed it and growled for another, seemingly unaware that there was no one but Caleb near enough to notice.  

“Jack?” he asked softly, moving closer to her, reaching to stroke her back but hesitating, eventually pulling back.  She didn’t react to him, just slumped again, head rested on her arm.  He hesitantly stepped forward.  It was definitely her, but she wasn’t herself. He remembered the last time he’d saw her, with a new guy, she’d near carried him out the bar, only giving Caleb a nod and a smile from across a crowded bar.  He wondered where the guy was now then felt a hot anger in his stomach, _‘if he hurt you…’_

“J, you alright?” he spoke softly, close to her.  

She tensed slightly, sobbed gently, otherwise there was no reaction.  

The bartender returned with his drinks, eyeing him, “Do you know her?” she said with a tired sigh.  

Caleb frowned at her, handing over his chit anyway, “Yeah. Old friends.”  

The bartender scanned his chit and handed it back, looking him over again; though Caleb was looking at Jack, worried, “She’s been here near 10 hours, yelling, crying, breaking glasses, sleeping... Dunno how she ain’t dead with the booze she’s put away. Manager’s been getting twitchy about her being here, but we can’t throw her out in that state...”  

This was the big difference between the colony worlds and big cities, Caleb thought. He nodded, took his chit back without looking back to the bartender, “I got a place I can take her...”

He glanced back to the blonde he’d forgotten the name of then added, “Take that drink to the blonde over there, tell her she needs to find another room for the night.”

The bartender followed his gaze, looked over him again, then to Jack, then took the drink, “no problem.”

Jack jerked again, her hand reaching for the shot glass again, likely out of habit at this point.  She brought it to her lips and made the motion of throwing it back… she realised it was empty and snarled.  She muttered a curse then pushed the shot glass down the bar, it fell off the edge and smashed on the floor behind the bar.   

“Jack.” Caleb tried again, reaching to lay a hand on her back, “Hey. Think you’ve had enough.”

She turned her head a little toward him, not enough to see him, slurred a curse under her breath again and lay her head back on her arm.  

Caleb paused a moment then gently grasped her shoulders and pulled her back from the bar.  She put up no resistance, barely conscious.  He bent, hooked one arm under her knees, wrapped his other around her waist and lifted her out the chair.  She slumped against him, muttering again. He looked over her; now he could see the tear marks on her cheeks and the redness around her eyes.  Her hand rested on her stomach and he saw cuts and bruises on her knuckles. She smelled strongly of booze; whiskey, he guessed, and a strong one at that.  

In the motel, he placed her gently on the bed, propped her head up on the pillow, then got her a glass of water from the tiny bathroom.  When he returned she was sat up on the edge of the bed, her head in her hands, elbows rested on her knees, sobbing.  

He moved to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and giving her the water.  She lifted her head, reached for the water, hand shaking. He put the glass in her hand and she moved it to her lips but didn’t drink.  Tears were streaming down her face, her eyes were glazed over, unfocused, but he could see the hurt in them.   

“You wanna tell me what happened, J?” He asked softly.   

She sniffed, straightened, exhaled, then drank the full glass of water, chugging it down in one go.  Then she dropped the glass, activated her OT and played a message out.  A man’s voice;  

_Hey Firefly. It’s me._

_I’ve set this to play for you if I haven’t checked in for a couple days… meaning I’m dead._

_Just want you to know I’m sorry._

_I had plans for us after this weapons job.  Wanted to take you to a colony, get us a place to live… build a future for us there.  I’m sorry that ain’t gonna happen now._

_I want you to promise me you’ll keep living, keep shining._

_I love you, Jack._  

She buckled and sobbed again at those last words, her OT deactivating and making the room appear just a little darker.  His stomach knotted, he tightened his grip around her, his thumb stroking her arm, cursing himself for not having found her sooner.    


End file.
